Israel's Poetry of Resistance: Africana Perspectives on Early Hebrew Verse

Hugh R. Page Jr.

Jul 2013 · Fortress Press

About this ebook

Noting that Israel's earliest responses to earth-shaking changes were cast in the powerfully expressive language of poetry, Hugh R. Page Jr. argues that the careful collection and preservation of these traditionsnow found in every part of the Hebrew Biblewas an act of resistance, a communal no to the forces of despair and a yes to the creative power of the Spirit.

Further, Page argues, the power of these poems to craft and shape a future for a people who had suffered acute displacement and marginalization offers a rich spiritual repertoire for Africana peoples today, and for all who find themselves perennially outside the social or political mainstream. Here Page offers fresh translations and brief commentary on the Bible's fifteen earliest poems, and explores the power and relevance of these poems, and the ancient mythic themes behind them, for contemporary life at the margins.

About the author

Hugh R. Page, Jr. is professor of theology and Africana Studies at the University of Notre Dame, where he also serves as vice president for Institutional Transformation and as Advisor to the President. An Episcopal priest, Page holds a bachelor's in history from Hampton University, two master's degrees from The General Theological Seminary in New York, a doctorate in ministry from the Graduate Theological Foundation, and master's and doctoral degrees in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations from Harvard University.